The Blind Leaders of the U.S. and Iraq

http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/the_blind_leaders_of_the_us_and_iraq/

The Blind Leaders of the U.S. and Iraq

Posted on Apr 22, 2007

Despite a week of horrific violence in Iraq, President Bush reaffirmed on Friday his belief that the surge was working, while Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki insisted two days later that his country was not in a state of civil war. In the latest round of attacks Sunday, 70 people were killed, including 23 members of a religious minority.



http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bush21apr21,0,3398992.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Bush says Iraq operations 'meeting expectations'
The president talks up his troop buildup strategy but acknowledges 'horrific' bombings this week in Baghdad.
By James Gerstenzang, Times Staff Writer
April 21, 2007

EAST GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — President Bush said Friday that his revised military strategy was taking hold in Iraq and "the direction of the fight is beginning to shift," even as he acknowledged "horrific" bombings that killed more than 200 people in Baghdad this week.

"So far, the operation is meeting expectations," Bush said of the boost in U.S. troops he ordered and the new focus on improving security in Baghdad neighborhoods.

The president said the number of sectarian attacks in the capital had declined by half since the stepped-up efforts began.

But Bush also said, "We have seen some of the highest casualty levels of the war."

And he cautioned that as more troops arrive to conduct more military maneuvers, "we can expect the pattern to continue."

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070422/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=ApZMoNpRQk8pjHyDLMBHHmtI2ocA

BAGHDAD - Gunmen shot and killed 23 members of an ancient religious sect in northern
Iraq on Sunday after stopping their bus and separating out followers of other faiths while car bombings in the capital killed at least another 20 people.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in Egypt to drum up support among Arab leaders for his Shiite-led government, told Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak that Iraq was not embroiled in a civil or sectarian war. Key Arab leaders pressured him to step up reconciliation efforts to include Sunni insurgents if he expects Arab support.

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